Knee osteoarthritis exhibits a high prevalence and significantly impacts patients′ quality of life. Although surgical interventions demonstrate definitive efficacy, their acceptance rate remains generally low among patients. While knee braces have been widely adopted internationally, domestic research in this field is still limited. International studies suggest that knee braces can be recommended as an early-stage intervention strategy for knee osteoarthritis. Knee braces encompass diverse designs, each with distinct advantages and limitations. Many researchers are actively refining existing brace technologies, while others are innovating novel biomechanical approaches to develop next-generation knee brace systems. Currently, no standardized treatment protocol exists for the use of knee braces in early-stage knee osteoarthritis. This study summarizes and analyzes the research on the application of knee braces in knee osteoarthritis.

Objective To evaluate the perioperative safety and mid-term outcomes of laparoscopic sacrocolpopexy(LSC)and laparoscopic pectopexy(LP)for pelvic organ prolapse(POP).Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 274 POP patients,including 178 who underwent LSC and 96 who underwent LP,between August 2017 and January 2023.The extent of prolapse and anatomical restoration were assessed preoperatively and postoperatively using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification(POP-Q)system.Quality of life outcomes were evaluated with validated questionnaires,including Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-short form 20(PFDI-20),Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-short form 7(PFIQ-7),and Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire-12(PISQ-12).Postoperative patient satisfaction was assessed during follow-ups.Postoperative anatomical restoration,perioperative status,and postoperative complications,recurrence,and quality of life were compared between the two groups.Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify postoperative risk factors for recurrence.Results The operative time in the LSC group was significantly shorter than that in the LP group(P<0.05).Intraoperative blood loss was higher in the LSC group compared to that in the LP group(P<0.05).The LSC group also exhibited higher rates of de novo stress urinary incontinence and constipation(P<0.05).The mean follow-up duration was(35.91±16.90)months.The positions of the indicator points(Aa,Ba,C,Ap,and Bp)in the POP-Q classification after the operation were all better than those before the operation.The PFDI-20 score,PFIQ-7 score,and PISQ-12 score all improved compared to those before the operation(P<0.05).Comparison of preoperative and postoperative PFDI-20,PFIQ-7,and PISQ-12 scores showed no intergroup differences.Compared with the LP group,the LSC group had the lower preoperative POP-Q measurements at points Aa and Ba(P<0.05),but superior postoperative measurements for all the indicator points(Aa,Ba,C,Ap,and Bp)(P<0.05).Recurrence occurred in 28 cases in the LP group and 4 cases in the LSC group,with the LP group presenting a significantly higher anatomical recurrence rate than the LSC group did(31.46%[28/89]vs.2.41%[4/166],P<0.05).The subjective cure rate(100%)and objective cure rate(97.59%)in the LSC group were superior to those in the LP group(88.76%and 68.54%,respectively;P<0.05).The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that,after adjusting for the confounding factors,including age,gravidity,parity,body mass index,and duration of POP,the risk of recurrence after LSC surgery was 0.044 times that after LP(odds ratio[OR],0.044;95%CI,0.015-0.133;P<0.001).Conclusion Mid-term outcomes of LP with partial cervical preservation appear inferior to those of LSC,with LSC demonstrating superior anatomical restoration and lower rates of anatomical recurrence.However,improvements in sexual function and quality of life are comparable between the two procedures.Further evaluation with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up is warranted to better characterize long-term outcomes.

Objective:To investigate the association between hearing loss and the type of indoor fuel applications in Chinese middle-aged and elderly people through longitudinal cohort study.Methods:Data were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), including adults aged 45 years and older enrolled in 2011, with follow-up for cooking and heating analyses extending to 2018 and 2015, respectively. The study calculated the incidence of hearing loss based on an indoor cooking or heating fuel type and expressed in terms of per 100 person-years. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the association between solid fuel use and hearing loss, and covariates such as gender, education, and economy were controlled. We also analyzed the impact of indoor fuel type and its switching on hearing loss.Results:A total of 6, 772 participants using household fuels for cooking (2011-2018) and 4, 618 for heating (2011-2015) were included. Those using solid fuels for cooking [(58.0±8.2) years] and heating [(58.1±8.5) years] were generally slightly older than that of those who used clean fuels. In the cooking analysis, the overall incidence of hearing loss was higher among solid fuel users compared to clean fuel users (Clean fuel: 2.6 cases per 100 person-years; solid fuel: 3.6 cases per 100 person-years; the difference between the two was statistically significant, P<0.05). However, no significant difference was observed in the heating analysis ( P>0.05). Further classification of fuel-type use revealed that the incidence of hearing loss was the highest among people who had been using solid fuels consistently. Compared to the clean fuel group, the fully adjusted hazard ratio (HR) was 1.5 (95% CI: 1.3-1.7) in the cooking analysis and 1.5 (95% CI: 1.1-2.0) in the heating analysis. Compared with using clean fuels, switching from clean fuels to solid fuels increased the risk of hearing loss both during cooking and heating processes. Conclusion:In the CHARLS database, individuals who use solid fuels for indoor cooking and heating are older than those who use clean fuels. Compared with clean fuel use, the use of solid fuels increases the risk of hearing loss in middle-aged and elderly people. Reducing the use of solid fuels, choosing clean fuels as substitutes for solid fuels, and avoiding the switch from clean fuels to solid fuels will help protect the hearing health of middle-aged and elderly individuals.

Prostate cancer (PC) is one of the common malignant tumors among men, and its incidence has been increased in China across these years. Radiotherapy is the mainstay therapy for PC. Due to the special biological characteristics of PC and the development of precision radiotherapy technology, hypofractionated regimens of radiotherapy are progressing rapidly, which has been increasingly applied in clinical practice and extensively studied by more and more researchers. In this review, the biological mechanisms of hypofractionated regimens, related clinical research, and practical applications of hypofractionated radiotherapy (such as definitive radiotherapy, postoperative adjuvant / salvage radiotherapy, oligometastasis radiotherapy, and pelvic lymph node radiotherapy) were summarized and its efficacy and toxicity profiles were analyzed, aiming to provide reference for scientific promotion of short‐course, hypofractionated precision radiotherapy for PC in China.

Objective:To compare the preliminary efficacy and adverse events of chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with or without immunotherapy in bladder preservation therapy for localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) confined to the pelvis.Methods:Clinical data of 60 patients with MIBC who received CRT with or without immunotherapy for bladder preservation at the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2016 to June 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into CRT plus immunotherapy group and CRT-alone group. Survival outcomes, bladder function preservation, recurrence and metastasis, as well as early and late radiation toxicities were evaluated. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for between-group comparisons. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and survival rates were compared by the log-rank test. Results:In the CRT plus immunotherapy group ( n=23), the median follow-up was 20 months. The median OS and median PFS were not reached. The 2-year OS, PFS, LRFS, and DMFS rates were 95.7%, 70.7%, 70.7%, and 92.9%, respectively, and 22 patients (96%) preserved normal bladder function. Patients with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score (CPS) ≥1 had significantly higher 1-year PFS rate than those with CPS <1 (100% vs. 66.7%, P=0.004). In the CRT-alone group ( n=37), the median follow-up was 37 months, with median OS and PFS of 68 and 19 months, respectively. The 2-year OS, PFS, LRFS, and DMFS rates were 92.0%, 41.1%, 60.9% and 81.5%, respectively, and 33 patients (89%) preserved normal bladder function. Compared with the CRT-alone group, the CRT plus immunotherapy group showed a significant improvement in PFS ( χ2=4.38, P=0.036), while no significant differences were observed in OS, LRFS, or DMFS (all P>0.05). The incidence of acute hematologic toxicity in the CRT plus immunotherapy group and CRT-alone group were 52% (12/23), 27% (10/37) respectively, and late genitourinary toxicity was 22% (5/23), 8% (3/37), respectively, with no significant differences in overall acute or late toxicities (all P>0.05). Conclusions:For localized MIBC, bladder preservation with CRT combined with immunotherapy significantly improves PFS compared with CRT alone, while maintaining comparable safety. The PD-L1 status may serve as a favorable predictor for immunotherapy efficacy.

Central nerve injuries, most commonly caused by traffic accidents or falls, frequently result in irreversible deficits such as paralysis, cognitive impairment and respiratory failure, profoundly impairing patients′ life quality and even proving to be fatal. Current therapeutic strategies including early surgical decompression, corticosteroid administration and neurotrophic pharmacotherapy fail to restore the neuro-homeostatic balance and systemic function. In recent years, biomaterial-based interventions have emerged as a promising alternative for central nerve injuries. Among them, the human amniotic membrane (HAM), a placental basement-membrane scaffold rich in collagen, hyaluronic acid and a cocktail of growth factors, perfectly combines angiogenic, anti-fibrotic and neurotropic properties that meet the complex demands of central nerve repair. Nevertheless, HAM-based therapies for central nerve injuries remain at an early stage of pre-clinical investigation. In the meantime, most studies have simply translated protocols validated for peripheral nerve injuries without addressing the pathological microenvironment specific to central nerve injuries. To this end, the authors reviewed recent advances in the modes of HAM application for central nerve injuries, aiming to provide novel insights and reference for future research on central nerve injuries.

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic value of targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) of throat swab samples for detecting community-acquired respiratory viruses (CARV) in patients with hematological diseases.Methods:Clinical and laboratory data from 64 episodes involving patients with hematological diseases and suspected infections—who underwent both pharyngeal swab tNGS and CARV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing concurrently—were retrospectively analyzed. The cases were drawn from the Department of Hematology, Peking University People’s Hospital, between September 2023 and April 2024. Concordance between tNGS and CARV PCR results, as well as the diagnostic performance of tNGS in detecting CARV, were evaluated.Results:Among the 64 episodes, 29 were clinically diagnosed with respiratory tract infections, including one case of cytomegalovirus pneumonia and 28 CARV-positive cases. The remaining 35 episodes involved patients with fever or respiratory symptoms attributed to other causes, including 14 with extrapulmonary infections and 21 with noninfectious etiologies. The median follow-up duration was 215.5 days (range: 7-271 days). PCR detected 24 strains of seven CARV types, whereas tNGS detected 25 strains of eight CARV types. Using PCR results as the reference standard, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of tNGS were 85.0%, 88.6%, 77.3%, 92.9%, and 87.5%, respectively. The two methods showed good concordance (Kappa=0.717, P<0.001) . Conclusion:Pharyngeal swab tNGS may serve as a viable alternative to PCR for diagnosing CARV infections in patients with hematological diseases.

Objective:To investigate the differences in acute intestinal injury and regulatory mechanisms in mice following carbon ion FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH-RT) and conventional dose rate radiotherapy (CONV-RT).Methods:Healthy C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into three groups: control group, FLASH-RT group (100 Gy/s), and CONV-RT group (0.1 Gy/s), with 9 mice in each group. All mice received carbon ion whole abdominal radiotherapy. DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) and cell proliferation were evaluated by measuring the expression of phosphorylated histone H2AX (γ-H2AX) and nuclear-associated antigen 67 (Ki67) using immunohistochemistry; apoptosis was analyzed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL); transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze the differences in molecular pathways between FLASH-RT and CONV-RT.Results:Compared with the CONV-RT group, the FLASH-RT group showed significantly reduced intestinal γ-H2AX signal at 3 h after radiotherapy ( t=3.80, P<0.01), significantly increased expression of Ki67 at the base of intestinal crypts at 6 h after radiotherapy ( t=4.30, P<0.001), and a significantly decreased number of TUNEL-positive cells at 12 h after radiotherapy ( t=3.08, P<0.01). Transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that FLASH-RT specifically activated the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway, avoiding the excessive activation of CONV-RT-induced nuclear factor-κB and B cell receptor inflammatory pathways as well as the inhibition of energy metabolism. Conclusions:Compared with CONV-RT, carbon ion FLASH-RT can reduce DSB damage, preserve the proliferative activity of intestinal stem cells, activate the IGF pathway, and regulate inflammatory, immune, and metabolic pathways, thereby significantly alleviating acute intestinal epithelial injury. Specifically, the regulation of repair pathways mediated by reduced DSB and the inhibition of inflammatory pathways are potential protective mechanisms for normal tissues.

Skeletal class Ⅱ malocclusion is characterized by maxillary protrusion,mandibular retrognathia,or a combination of both,and often accompanied by vertical dimensional discrepancies;treatment is complex,and combined orthodontic-orthognathic surgery is needed for the adult patients.Clear aligner therapy has gradually been applied in complex orthodontic cases.However,limited cases have been reported domestically and internationally regarding the application of clear aligner therapy combined with orthognathic surgery.This article presented a case of a patient with skeletal class Ⅱ high-angle malocclusion treated with the combined therapy and analyzed the clinical efficacy of the treatment appraoch to provide reference for the clinical practice.Extraction of impacted wisdom teeth 18,28,38,and 48,as well as orthodontic teeth 15,25,34,and 44,was performed in stages before orthodontic treatment.Clear aligner therapy was used for preoperative orthodontics.In sagittal plane,a super-complete class Ⅱ canine and molar relationship and a 13-14 mm overjet of the anterior teeth were established.The maxillary and mandibular arch morphology was matched horizontally.The orthognathic surgery included maxillary LeFort Ⅰ osteotomy,bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy(BSSRO)and chinplasty.Fine occlusal adjustment was conducted after operation.After treatment,the skeletal relationship between upper and lower jaw was corrected to normal;subspinale-nasion-supramental angle(ANB)was improved from 12.3° to 4.7°;the patient established the class Ⅰ canine and molar relationship,with normal overjet and overbite;root parallelism was good and there was no obvious root resorption;the facial soft tissue profile was significantly improved,and nasion-subnasale-pogonion angle(N-Sn-Pg)was improved from 143.9° to 162.8°.The curative effect was stable 1 year after operation.Clear aligner therapy can efficiently complete combined orthodontic and orthodontic surgery in the complex cases.Compared with the fixed appliance,it is more beneficial to the patients'need for beauty and the maintenance of periodontal health.

Objective:To discuss the ameliorative effect of total flavonoids from corn silk(TFCS)on kidney injury in the rats with urate nephropathy,and to clarify the possible mechanism.Methods:Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,positive control group[benzbromarone(BZM)group,5 mg·kg-1·d-1],low dose of TFCS group(20 mg·kg-1·d-1),medium dose of TFCS group(40 mg·kg-1·d-1),and high dose of TFCS group(80 mg·kg-1·d-1),and there were 10 rats in each group.Except for control group,the rats in the other groups were administered potassium oxonate(350 mg·kg-1)and adenine(70 mg·kg-1)by gavage for 4 weeks to establish the hyperuricemic nephropthy models.The rats in different doses of TFCS groups were treated with TFCS for 2 weeks.Speckle blood flow imager was used to detect the renal blood perfusion of the rats in various groups and the kidney coefficients of the rats in various groups were caculated;HE staining and Masson staining were used to observe the pathomorphology and fibrosis degrees of kidney tissue of the rats in various groups and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)method was used to detect the levels of uric acid(UA),creatinine(Cr),blood urea nitrogen(BUN),interleukin-6(IL-6),and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in the serum and levels of β2-microglobulin(β2-MG)and microalbumin(ALB)in the urine of the rats in various groups;Western blotting method was used to detect the expression levels of urate transporter 1(URAT1),glucose transporter 9(GLUT9),and ATP-binding cassette transporter G2(ABCG2)proteins in kidney tissue of the rats in various groups.Results:Compared with control group,the renal blood perfusion volume of the rats in model group was significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with model group,the renal blood perfusion volumes of the rats in BZM group and low,medium,and high doses of TFCS groups were significantly increased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with control group,the kidney weight of the rats in model group was increased,with visible white granular spots on the surface,absence of blood color,and kidney volume was increased.Compared with model group,the kidney volumes of the rats in BZM group and medium and high doses of TFCS groups were decreased,with color tending toward that in control group,and the white granular spots on the surface were significantly reduced.Compared with model group,the kidney coefficients of the rats in BZM group and medium and high doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.01).The HE staining results showed there were no abnormalities in kidney tissue structure in control group,while there were a small amount of brown-yellow urate crystal deposition and interstitial connective tissue hyperplasia in model group;compared with model group,the kidney tissue damage and inflammatory infiltration were alleviated to varying degrees in BZM group and different doses of TFCS groups.The Masson staining results revealed no obvious collagen fiber deposition in control group,whereas significant blue collagen fiber deposition in kidney tissue of the rats was found in model group,and the collagen volume fraction(CVF)was increased compared with control group(P<0.01);compared with model group,the CVFs of the rats in BZM group and different doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.01).The ELISA results showed that compared with control group,the levels of UA,Cr,BUN,IL-6,and TNF-α in serum of the rats in model group were increased(P<0.01);compared with model group,the levels of UA,Cr,BUN,IL-6,and TNF-α in serum of the rats in BZM group and medium and high doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.01).Compared with control group,the levels of β2-MG and ALB in urinary in model group were increased(P<0.01);compared with model group,the levels of β2-MG and ALB in urinary of the rats in different doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).The Western blotting results showed that compared with control group,the expression levels of URAT1 and GLUT9 proteins in kidney tissue of the rats in BZM group and model group were increased(P<0.01),while the expression level of ABCG2 protein was decreased(P<0.01).Compared with model group,the expression levels of URAT1 and GLUT9 proteins in kidney tissue of the rats in different doses of TFCS groups were decreased(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the expression level of ABCG2 protein was increased(P<0.01).Conclusion:TFCS can significantly alleviate the kidney injury in the rats with urate nephropathy model,and its mechanism may be related to the downregulation of expression of URAT1 and GLUT9 proteins and upregulation of ABCG2 protein expression in kidney tissue.